Metro Westside/Central Service Sector to Hold Public Meetings on Proposed Metro Bus Service Changes

Thursday February 19, 2004

The Metro Westside/Central community-based transit service sector will hold two community meetings and a public hearing on proposed service enhancements and changes to Metro Bus service operating in the Central area of Los Angeles as well as the Westside.

The first community meeting will take place on Thursday, Feb. 26 at 1 p.m. at the Unity Center, 944 West 53rd St. in Los Angeles. The second community meeting will take place on Wednesday, March 3, at 6 p.m. at the Westwood United Methodist Church, 10497 Wilshire Blvd., in Westwood. Both community meetings are informal informational meetings to apprise the community of proposed changes in bus service as well as other transportation related issues.

The public hearing where public testimony will be heard on the proposed service changes will take place on Tuesday, March 9, at 7 p.m. at the La Cienega Tennis Center, 325 S. La Cienega Blvd. in Beverly Hills.

The purpose of the community meetings and the public hearing is to outline a series of Metro Bus service changes and enhancements that are proposed to take effect on or after June 27.

The adjustments in Metro Bus service are being proposed to improve bus speeds, on-time performance, productivity, and/or eliminate duplication of service.

The affected Metro Bus lines and service proposals under consideration include:

Line 10/11 (Melrose Ave./Temple St.) Reroute service off of Maple Avenue to Main Street between Pico and 9th Street.

Line 48 (Maple Ave./San Pedro St.) Reroute service off Maple Street to Main Street between Adams Boulevard and Pico and reduce the frequency of service during peak hours.

Line 20 (Wilshire Blvd./Santa Monica Blvd.) Shorten service to end at Veteran Avenue and Wilshire Boulevard in Westwood instead of Main Street/Pico Boulevard in Santa Monica.

Line 21 (Wilshire Blvd./UCLA) Eliminate service on Westwood Boulevard between Wilshire Boulevard in Westwood and Strathmore Avenue at UCLA.

Line 720 (Wilshire/Whittier Rapid) Extend trips that currently terminate at Wilshire and Westwood Boulevards to 5th Street and Colorado Avenue in Santa Monica.